Condiments

So delicious in so many ways.

Creamy, dreamy, fluffy hummus is 10 minutes away.

You'll want to sprinkle it over everything.

One pantry staple makes it extra nutty and delicious.

And you only need four ingredients.

Whatever regular ol’ butter can do, maple butter can do better. The touch of sweetness and caramel-y, toffee notes alter butter so magically that it’s hard to believe how simple it is to make. Because maple butter has so few ingredients, it’s essential to ensure those ingredients are good-quality. Here you’ll want real-deal maple syrup — sweet, smoky, and amber-colored.

Engaged in a tomato girl summer.

Calling all feta lovers.

Better than anything you'll buy at the store.

Cool, briny pickles straight from the fridge are one of the simplest pleasures of summer. Quick pickling is also a brilliant solution for preserving a plethora of summer vegetables from the market or your garden. Quick pickling doesn’t require canning or a bushel of vegetables. Best of all, you can adapt this simple formula for any fresh vegetables; try a mixture of vinegars and spices for a truly custom pickle pleasure. Here’s how to make these easy quick pickles in just 20 minutes.

My grandmother kept a tidy little vegetable garden outside her New England home. While she did a decent job of growing summer squash, cucumbers, and some tomatoes, her best results always came out of her snap bean plants. This also meant my annual August trips to visit her were filled by snapping beans on her porch (a job reserved strictly for grandchildren) and putting jars of quick-pickled green beans in her refrigerator.

It’s so delicious.

It puts the yee-haw in every dish.

Gremolata is one of those things where the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts. Sprinkled over any number of dishes, it will make every mouthful pop with its bright, fresh flavors. Along with classic basil pesto and chimichurri sauce, it’s one of the essential condiments made with fresh herbs that you can add to practically anything grilled or roasted. Plus it’s a great way to use up a bunch of parsley!

They’re so versatile!

Cool and crunchy, delightfully sour and capable of going from a quick snack to a crunchy addition to a hearty sandwich without a hitch — that’s what I call a good pickle. Did you know they’re a cinch to make at home? You don’t even need to set aside the afternoon; you can make a few pint jars in less than 30 minutes. Here’s everything you need to know to make your own batch of homemade dill pickles right now.

It’s a keeper.

Being the primary cook in my household, I was shocked to realize recently that I had no idea how to make one of my favorite marinades. My partner always handles the grilling of galbi (Korean short ribs) plus firm tofu for me, but it seemed silly not to know what went into the sauce for this deeply flavored, salty and sweet Korean-style barbecue. Fortunately, it’s pretty simple and now that I know, I can share it with you, too.

Just 7 ingredients come together for big flavor.

It’s no secret that McDonald’s Big Macs are beloved all over the world, primarily for the sweet and tangy sauce that’s slathered onto the burger buns. And while there have been plenty of rumors suggesting the special sauce is simply Thousand Island dressing in disguise, McDonald’s says otherwise.

Date syrup is a thick, caramel-colored sweetener made from dried dates. You may have seen date syrup on the shelves in your local health food store or online, as many cooks embrace it as an alternative sweetener. Date syrup is incredibly easy to make at home, can be more affordable than store-bought, and has the lush caramel hue and heady date flavor of its namesake fruit. Here is everything you need to know about making date syrup at home. Medjool: Medjool dates are ideal for making date syrup.

Breakfast just got its own special sauce.

It’s a five-star recipe.

Perfect balance of sweet and heat.

Easy, cheesy, beautiful.

On some level, you probably already know that, sure, it’s pretty easy to make your own peanut butter. But if you’ve never actually made homemade peanut butter, I don’t know if you quite understand how truly, incredibly, ridiculously easy it really is. To make easy, delicious peanut butter at home, use your food processor. Then go make Kelli’s 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies. (Trust us on this one.

There’s really no arguing that scoby is uglydelicious homemade kombuchaIf you want to save a few bucks on your ‘booch habit, there’s just no getting around it. You’re going to need a scoby. You can beg a scoby from a kombucha-brewing friend, or you can order a fresh one online. But there’s one more option: you can grow your own. This can be easily done by combining tea, sugar, and some pre-made kombucha. Here’s how to do it.

Casually read a book while you wait.

You'll quickly fall in love with these sweet and savory spreads.

Steak! Bread! Veggies!

Take a plate of greens from blah to ooh-la-la.

A zesty, vibrant herb-packed sauce for everything from meat to potatoes.

They taste just like apple pie filling.

When life gives you cabbage...

Fall in a jar.

It gives everything (not just salad!) that special something.

It’s spicy, crunchy, delightfully salty, and perfect with a bowl of warm rice.

Move over, ketchup and Sriracha! When it comes to versatile red condiments, harissa is my absolute favorite. This Tunisian chile sauce is a fantastic shortcut to spice up a meal and can be used with everything from meat to vegetables, couscous, roasted potatoes, scrambled eggs, as a dip for bread … the list is truly endless. Making them is easy; you can blend the chiles into a thick paste with garlic, olive oil, and aromatic spices.

Milk kefir is an easy sell for anyone who loves yogurt, which I most definitely do. KefirsmoothieprobioticsAll you need is a teaspoon of active kefir grains and a cup of whole milk. Milk kefir is a fermented dairy product similar in many ways to yogurt and buttermilk. It’s how kefir is cultured that makes it really unique — instead of heating the milk, adding a culture, and keeping it warm as you do with yogurt, all you need to make milk kefir are kefir grains.

They take about 10 minutes to assemble and last for weeks in the refrigerator.

Can you slice vegetables and boil brine? Then you can make refrigerator pickles.

Put this over everything.

Spread it onto bread, fold into omelets, or eat spoonfuls with ricotta.